Sussex Jewish News has refused to publish an article by an Israeli citizen and ex-IDF member after accusing him of harassing and racially attacking a local Rabbi. In other news, no one has been able to produce any evidence of the alleged attacks, and it just so happens that the Israeli citizen in question advocates for community unity and Palestinian rights.

Here’s a brief rundown of events: following a post on Facebook, the SJN published an article by Rabbi Andrea Zanardo of Brighton and Hove Reform Synagogue. The article claimed that at an election hustings event held at the Brighton and Hove Jewish Community Centre (BHJC) on 30 June 2024 the Rabbi and his son were mocked in Yiddish by a member of Na’amod, a Jewish group that advocates for Palestinian rights. Zanardo is Sephardi, and he claims saying b’hatzlacha (yes, it was in fact Hebrew, not Yiddish) to Sephardis is antisemitic and exclusionary.

Local Na’amod members denied any knowledge, and asked for specific details of the incident to conduct an internal investigation.

There was no response from Rabbi Zanardo. Or the Brighton and Hove Jewish Community Centre, which hosted the event in question. Tumbleweed, but for a Facebook post saying Alan will be excluded from missives from the local Jewish Hive Mind, aka the Sussex Jewish Representative Council.

It seems the age-old Jewish tradition of a fair hearing does not apply in Brighton to Jews who support equality and justice for Palestinians.

Alan Schechner, an Israeli citizen, former member of the IDF and a Jewish peace activist who believes he is the person implicated in the accusations, attempted to respond, first directly to Rabbi Zanardo (no response), and then via SJN. Initially, he was invited to submit a 700-word guest column outlining his perspective, including his denial of the alleged anti-Sephardi remarks (remember – he spoke Hebrew, not Yiddish, and wished Zanardo and his son the best of luck), and his call for constructive engagement within the Jewish community. However, within hours of accepting his submission, the SJN editorial board reversed its decision, informing him that his article would no longer be published.

Read Schechner’s rejected article here >>

Schechner emailed the SJN. He accused the publication of allowing unverified allegations to be printed while denying the accused a right of response. He questioned whether Rabbi Zanardo had influenced the board’s decision, especially in light of a subsequent social media post in which the Rabbi appeared to suggest that Schechner was a “racist” and a “Dark Empath.” Is this a case of allegations really being confessions?

“If the publication was not a Jewish one and it acted in this way, I am sure you would be amongst the first to accuse it of antisemitism,” Schechner wrote in his email to the editorial board.

So that’s where we are now. A publication that claims to be a platform for diverse local Jewish voices is acting as a gatekeeper, excluding perspectives that challenge certain narratives and allowing a Rabbi, a leader in the community, to baselessly accuse fellow Jews of attacks, antisemitism and of not being ‘real Jews’, without any real challenge.

And here is the rub. Schechner isn’t some militant, aggressive activist. He’s an Israeli citizen, ex IDF soldier turned health practitioner who had a member of his extended family killed in the October 7 attacks. He is a man of peace and he has every right to speak out about his views on Israel and Palestine.

What the SJN is doing isn’t unusual. There is a trend in mainstream Jewish organisations that is unrecognisable to most UK Jews on the ground, religious or not, that sees Judaism reduced to a narrow ethnic nationalism. To be Jewish or to be pro Jewish is – according to these organisations – to uncritically support Israel. In reality, groups like Na’amod and Jewdas are as Jewish as the Board of Deputies or Representative Council. It’s just that one gets on the BBC and the other gets accused of racism for speaking Hebrew.

Judaism is a broad church (lol), and there is no single united vision for how modern Judaism is or should be. The real tradition of our culture and religion is commentary and dialogue. Schechner’s final call remains open: “Let’s choose dialogue over division. Let’s choose understanding over alienation. And let’s work together to build the compassionate, inclusive community that we all desire.” Small wonder the SJN refused to publish.

Read Alan Schechner’s rejected letter to the Sussex Jewish News >>